Debt Payoff Tracker Spreadsheet, Debt Snowball Avalanche Calculator for Irregular Income, 2027 Budget & Sinking Funds | Excel Google Sheets

A debt payoff tracker spreadsheet for people whose income changes month to month: plan from a lean month, then use the Income Plan to allocate bonus-month income among debts, sinking funds and your cash buffer during the first 12 months. Compare debt snowball and avalanche side by side, see your projected debt-free month and interest saved, and use it in Excel 2010 or newer or Google Sheets (no Microsoft 365 needed).

Income Plan covers the first 12 months. Later one-time extras can be entered by date on Extra Payments. Payoff projections assume the Setup monthly payment is made even in a short-income month.

WHAT'S INCLUDED
1. 2027 Debt Payoff & Budget workbook (Excel + Google Sheets), 15 tabs:
- Start Here: plain-English steps, and how the math works.
- Dashboard: debt-free month, interest you'll pay, interest saved compared with minimums only, progress bars, snowball vs avalanche, buffer and sinking funds.
- Setup: plan start, payoff method, baseline income, tax set-aside %, monthly debt payment, bonus-month split (debt / sinking funds / buffer / fun money), buffer target.
- Debts (12): payoff order, payoff month, months, interest, minimum-only payoff date and interest, progress from your real balance.
- Income Log (600 rows) and Spending Log (1,500 rows).
- Budget: 30 categories, baseline vs actual for all 12 months.
- Income Plan (first 12 months): each month labelled baseline, bonus or short, with exactly what goes to debt, sinking funds, the buffer and fun money.
- Sinking Funds (15) + Fund Log: goals, due dates, monthly amount needed.
- Extra Payments (100): a tax refund or windfall goes in the month it arrives.
- Payoff Plan: month by month for up to 10 years: interest, balance, which debt gets the extra, and when each one is paid off.
2. Start Here PDF with your Google copy link.

WHY IT'S DIFFERENT
- Built for income that changes. The Income Plan allocates bonus-month surplus during the first 12 months; later one-time extras can be dated on Extra Payments.
- In the first 12 months, a cash buffer covers short-month shortfalls. Once it reaches your target, its share goes to debt.
- Snowball, avalanche or your own order, compared side by side, plus what paying only the minimums would cost.
- Math you can check. Interest is APR / 12, rounded to the cent. Start Here explains why your lender's number can differ by a few dollars.
- Warnings instead of wrong answers: a payment below your minimums, split shares that don't add up to 100%, a typo in a category. Every list has a Check column.
- Designed for Excel 2010 or newer, Google Sheets and LibreOffice. No Microsoft 365-only formulas, no macros, nothing locked.

TESTED
17 automated tests check the payoff math against an independent model (4,941 cells per test), including a hand-worked first month, ties in your own order, a 0% debt, bad input and a file filled to capacity. Recalculated in LibreOffice and checked in Google Sheets; not tested in the Microsoft Excel application.

HOW TO GET IT
1. After you buy, go to your Etsy account > Purchases and download the zip. Etsy also emails you a link.
2. Open Debt-START-HERE.pdf. Click the link and choose "Make a copy" for Google, or open the .xlsx in Excel.
3. Look at the sample, clear it, and add your debts.

GOOD TO KNOW, PLEASE READ
- A calculator, not financial or tax advice.
- Up to 12 debts. Interest is charged monthly, not daily, so it's close to your statements but may be off by a few dollars. Update balances every few months.
- One budget year per file (the payoff plan runs 10 years). No bank connection: you type income and spending. One currency.
- Compatible with Google Sheets (free Google account), Excel 2010 or newer on Windows or Mac, and LibreOffice. Not designed for Apple Numbers.
- This is a digital download. Nothing physical will be shipped. Because it's a digital file, returns aren't accepted. If something isn't working, send me a message and I'll help.
- For your own use. Please don't resell or share the files or links.

HOW THIS WAS MADE
I designed this workbook with help from AI tools, which assisted with the formulas, layout and sample data. I chose the features after comparing the debt payoff trackers already available and reading what people say goes wrong with them (math that doesn't match statements, nothing for irregular income, Excel versions that need Microsoft 365). I tested every calculation against an independent check (17 tests) before listing.